Results 1-20 of 3,498 for speaker:Kevin Brennan
- Cowboy Builders (23 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: As is customary, I congratulate the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on securing this debate on an important subject about which I am sure other hon. Members have concerns from their casework in their constituencies. Clearly, any expenditure on building repairs or improvements to our home represents an investment in our future. It is not a decision that people should take lightly or...
- Cowboy Builders (23 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: I may need to defer to my colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government about resourcing in local authorities for building regulations. However, self-certification is an important step forward in making sure that further protections are available to consumers. The scheme, which is compatible with TrustMark, aims to enhance compliance with the requirements of building...
- Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: Does my hon. Friend agree that it would give more credence to the diplomas that the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) says he supports if the Opposition said that they would not pull them out of their league tables and if they included them as an achievement by the school?
- Bills Presented: Education and Health (19 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: That is not my constituency.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Apprenticeships (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: Some 220 young people aged 16 to 18 started apprenticeships in Shipley in 2007-08, and 107,600 did so in England. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill will ensure that all young people receive objective and comprehensive advice about their options at the age of 16 and that an apprenticeship place is available for all suitably qualified young people by 2013.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Apprenticeships (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: The hon. Gentleman's attitude is rather disappointing and rather out of date. More than 180 apprenticeship frameworks, across all sorts of careers, are available now in the UK since the Government rescued apprenticeships from the oblivion that they were heading towards under the Conservative party.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Apprenticeships (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: I have always considered Rhyl a beacon for other towns across the UK, and I join my hon. Friend in congratulating his local college on its achievement.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Apprenticeships (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: The hon. Gentleman raises a number of issues. Of course, the so-called secret document to which he refers confirmed savings announced in the Budget. It just goes to show that if one wants to keep something secret, one should announce it in the House of Commons. Those figures were no secret to anybody in the further education sector. It was not a secret document, and of course it did not...
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Grocery Supply Ombudsman (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: We have received a number of oral and written representations from interested parties, expressing a range of views on the Competition Commission's proposal for a grocery supply code of practice ombudsman. Those views, together with the commission's careful analysis, will be taken into account when we reach our decision shortly.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Grocery Supply Ombudsman (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: As I discussed with the hon. Gentleman just last week when he came to meet me about this subject, Parliament ultimately intends Ministers to take decisions. That is why the power rests with Ministers, and I think he would be the first to criticise me as a Minister if I simply accepted every recommendation without giving it due consideration.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Grocery Supply Ombudsman (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: As I said, shortly.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Groceries Supplies (Code of Conduct) (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: The answer is none. The Competition Commission has powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to put in place the revised groceries supply code of practice without involvement from Government. It laid that order on 4 August, and it will come into force on 4 February 2010.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Groceries Supplies (Code of Conduct) (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: I will take note of the representations from hon. Members, and in the very near future I will meet interested parties to give further consideration to the matter of the ombudsman. As I said, the code will come into force on 4 February next year.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Groceries Supplies (Code of Conduct) (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: That is a separate matter for the Competition Commission, which is considering whether changes are necessary in planning requirements to do with competition. Again, the Government will respond shortly on that matter.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Labour Force Re-skilling (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: In 2008-09, investment in work-based learning through Train to Gain and apprenticeships was £1.2 billion. The Department has also focused the total adult skills budget towards skills and qualifications that support progression into and within sustainable employment, as set out in the November 2008 investment strategy.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Labour Force Re-skilling (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: I understand that the Secretary of State has already been in discussion with the companies about that. As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination said earlier, the Government regret Ericsson's announcement. It will remain a large investor in the UK, but nevertheless the jobs involved are highly skilled and will be a great loss in the west...
- Business, Innovation and Skills: Labour Force Re-skilling (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: As I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, if you want to keep something a secret, announce it in the House of Commons. The hon. Gentleman may not have noticed, but yesterday we launched a White Paper setting out our policies in this regard, including creating an extra 35,000 apprenticeships at level 3 to raise the level of skills and deal with the problem of what is sometimes called "assess assess."
- Business, Innovation and Skills: NEETs (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: In the second quarter of 2009, there were 959,000 people not in education, employment or training aged 16 to 24. This includes young mothers with children, those who are seriously ill or have profound disabilities, and young people who have a course or job that has not yet started, including those on a gap year.
- Business, Innovation and Skills: NEETs (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: I remember being unemployed in 1982 under a previous Government when I left university, and I can tell the hon. Lady that there are now far more opportunities provided by the Government for young people who are out of work than there ever were at that time. The Conservatives have refused to commit to the education maintenance allowance or to match our commitments to job training and places,...
- Business, Innovation and Skills: NEETs (12 Nov 2009)
Kevin Brennan: My best response to that is yes.